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Notes

The "three governors' controversy" began with the death of Governor-elect Eugene Talmadge in 1946. After his death, a political struggle for the governor’s office ensued involving the incumbent governor Ellis Arnall, the newly elected Lieutenant Governor Melvin Thompson, and Talmadge's son Herman, who was subsequently elected by the Georgia Assembly. In March of 1947 the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Melvin Thompson was rightful governor until a special election could be held in 1948. Herman Talmadge won that election, defeating Ellis Arnall.